It's a Shame
by fourty53143
Summary: She knew that she couldn't fight back, that she would lose, that she would be raped no matter what.
1. Chapter 1

**SO that Asian kid from Clare's church... is going to be named Jamie. Just because. And I know that it doesn't really make sense for a religious boy to do what's going to happen in this chapter, but it's going to happen here. So. Yeah.**

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"So, Clare Edwards. Still with that emo boy?" Jamie snickered, coming closer to Clare. Anyone could sense that something was wrong- the air outside the church, usually clean and pleasant compared to the rest of the city, was thick and filled with tension, almost like a puzzle piece to the future. And the future did not look too good.

Clare picked up on this, and started backing away, hoping that someone would offer her a ride home so she wouldn't be stuck with Jamie alone. "Y-yes I am," she nervously replied.

"Well, it's a shame that he's not here. It's a shame that your mom isn't able to pick you up. It's a shame that we have to wait for an hour until my parents can come back. It's a shame that they have to deliver all of that donated food _right now_, and that they're leaving us here to clean up the church. If only that emo boy wasn't an atheist. He could come and _rescue _you right now." Jamie flashed an evil grin, showing Clare all of his white teeth.

"H-his name is Eli..." Clare argued, not sure why she was. She knew that she wasn't in any position to be rude to Jamie, but Eli meant too much to her.

"Well, has Eli touched you like... this?" Jamie quickly moved forward and stroked Clare's cheek, moving his hand down to her neck and then breast.

Clare gulped. "N-no," she practically whispered.

"Here's the thing, _Clare," _Jamie murmured. "I love you. I've loved you for so, so long, but I don't know how to get you to return the favor. However, if we have _sex, _maybe you'll realize that we are meant to be, and that _Eli _is nothing compared to me. I'm sure that God understands _perfectly."_

Clare's eyes widened and she turned around to start running away from what she knew was going to happen, but Jamie grabbed her wrist in a painful grip and pushed her back against the wall. "Let's be clear. I will be gentle, but you must be silent. Clear? Capisci?" Jamie's eyes darkened a few shades, and Clare felt tears come to her eyes.

_This is it, _she thought. _I am no longer Saint Clare. _She knew that she couldn't fight back, that she would lose, that she would be raped no matter what. But because she wasn't fighting, didn't that make her a sinner? Wasn't she willingly losing her virginity?

"Jamie, _please,"_ Clare begged. "You... just... don't do this to me, okay?" Her voice started to squeak, her fear becoming more obvious.

"Oh, but _Clare. _I have to. God even told me last night! He told me that if you wouldn't love me back, I would have to make you. And what better way than taking your virginity? Part of you will always be mine, and you won't have any other way to get it back unless you _love _me, too! It makes sense, really." Jamie started to chuckle. He watched Clare's body start to tremble as she became more scared.

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Clare sat in the back of the church, terrified. It had been an hour since Jamie raped her, an hour since she was stripped from what she valued most. She vaguely heard Jamie tell his parents that Clare's mom was able to make it after all, that she didn't need a ride home. Her attacker was gone, but Clare was sure that he would come back if she left her hiding spot.

She could hear her phone ringing in the pocket of her jeans, ripped off of her and thrown out in front of her, but she didn't bother answering it.

She sat alone for a long, long time, hoping that what just happened was a nightmare. She wished that she could just pinch herself and wake up, but even if she was able to lift her arm up to do so, the pain that she experienced would have woken her up already.

"Oh my god," she heard someone's deep, husky yet soft voice mutter. "Clare!"

"Is she there? Oh, my baby's okay- oh no, oh no, oh no!" She heard the shriek of a woman's voice.

"Clare," the deep voice said her name. If she opened her eyes, she would see him standing right in front of her, but she kept them shut tightly, afraid that any of those voices would be Jamie.

"Clare," the voice said her name again over the woman's sobbing.

"Clare!" The woman's voice was louder now, and Clare felt a hand touch both of her shoulders. Clare cried out and buried her head in between her legs, terrified that the woman would hurt her.

"Mrs. Edwards, just... here, talk to the 911 operator," the deep voice said again.

Clare felt someone next to her again, and after she realized that they wouldn't touch her, she slowly opened her eyes to find Eli sitting next to her. His eyes were starting to fill with tears, and his tortured expression showed Clare exactly what he was feeling.

"Y-...you won't... hurt me," Clare whispered, her voice barely audible. Eli shook his head, and Clare felt relief.

"Let me help you get dressed," Eli suggested.

Clare shook her head, afraid to move from where she was. Jamie could be anywhere, and if she got up, he could hurt her again. "He'll hurt me," she tried to explain.

Eli nodded his head and stayed where he was with Clare, almost rolling his eyes when Clare's mom came back with his phone. Her sobs were loud enough for the city to hear, it seemed, and Eli knew that it wouldn't help Clare.

"Clare," Mrs. Edwards cried, "Baby, let me help you get your clothes back on! We have to get you help!" She grabbed Clare's arm and tried to pull her up, not understanding how force wouldn't help in this sort of situation.

Clare whipped her arm away from her mom and turned to face Eli, hiding her face in between his shoulder and the wall that they were sitting against. Eli shielded Clare from her mom with his arm, feeling Clare shake violently from fear.

"Mrs. Edwards, uh, not to... not to be rude, but I don't think that... you should be with her right now," he tried to reason with her.

Mrs. Edwards shook her head, still crying. "She's my... my baby! How could you tell me to leave her alone?"

"Because!" Eli snapped, softening his voice when he heard Clare cry out in fear. "Clare is in no condition to be surrounded by those who make her feel unsafe! She feels safe around me, apparently, but anyone else will just make her worse!"

Mrs. Edwards nodded her head and hesitantly left Eli with Clare. They could all hear the sirens coming from the ambulance that was heading their way, but Clare didn't understand that it was for her. The noises scared her, and she hid herself deeper into Eli.

"It's okay," Eli said, hoping to calm Clare's nerves. "I'm right here, h-he's gone, you'll be okay."

Clare looked up at Eli and saw a tear running down his cheek. Clare realized that she had caused this, and it made her more upset. She turned away from Eli and basically curled up into a little ball, afraid of everyone in the world.

Eli watched, feeling guilty the entire time. He wanted to wrap his arms around Clare and comfort her, but he couldn't. He couldn't do anything to help her. "W-what can I do, Clare?" He asked, feeling terrible. He waited for a few minutes before Clare looked up at him.

"I'm scared," she choked out. She scooted back over to Eli and let him wrap an arm around her protectively.

"I'm here, Clare. You're going to be okay, I promise."

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**Hopefully, I'll be able to update tomorrow or even later tonight. BUT I would really like some reviews :D **

**And those who read my other story, _To Stop Hurting, _I am goonna come back to that soon but it's been kind of hard since I've dealt with the same issue. So I just need to take a break from that until my personal issues that occur in the story are under control.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Clare, the ambulance is here. They're going to take you to the hospital now," Eli said cautiously. He watched Clare's eyes widen in fear.

"W-what? No!" Her voice rose a little bit. This scared her a little, so she quickly looked down and kept shaking her head no.

"Clare, they can help you there. We can't do anything in the back of a church!" Eli softly explained.

Clare kept shaking her head. "They'll hurt me," she whimpered. "H-he hurt me, a-and so will they."

"No, no they won't, Clare. I'll make sure of it!" Eli tried to reassure his girlfriend. "I'll be right there," he whispered.

That, however, caused Clare to look up. Eli was the only one, so far, who understood the most about Clare and what she needed. She didn't want anyone touching her, violating her space, and Eli respected that. If she was able to trust anyone at all at this point, it would certainly be Eli.

"Do... do you promise?" She asked.

Eli nodded his head. "I promise." He held his hand out for Clare, and helped her stand up. "I'll help you get dressed, okay?"

Clare nodded her head. Eli let go of her to get her clothes, but Clare clung to him. "W-why did you let go?" She whimpered, terrified that he would leave her alone and allow Jamie to come back.

"I was going to get your clothes," Eli responded, holding her hand tighter. "It's okay," he said. Still holding onto Clare's hand, Eli grabbed her clothes. "Do you want me to help you put them on?" He asked cautiously.

Clare shook her head no, even though she was unaware if she could do it herself. She took her bra and slid it on, shaking as she did so. She could almost feel Jamie's hands as she did it, and this caused her to gasp. Eli reached out to help comfort her, but she shied away. Once her bra was on, she took her panties from Eli and put them on as well, though she could still feel Jamie touching her.

Eli was even more worried as he watched Clare painfully put her clothes on, wishing he could stop her from reliving every moment of her rape. But he couldn't, and that killed him.

"Shh, it's okay. Do you want me to help you?" Eli asked after Clare cried out when she was putting her shirt on. After she nodded, Eli helped her finish putting it on. He noticed how she was shivering from the cold and took off his jacket, then put it on Clare.

"Thanks," Clare whispered. Eli smiled sadly at her, and the two stood there quietly until the ambulance arrived.

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Clare was a mess at the hospital. The SART at the hospital could tell, and although they were kind and careful, Clare wouldn't speak to anyone but Eli. They allowed her to go home since her mom was there, but Clare wouldn't face her mom, either. Eli was the only one she would willingly allow to touch her, to comfort her.

"Stay with me tonight," Clare whispered. She and Eli were in the backseat of the car, Mrs. Edwards driving them home. Eli's arm was around Clare, but that was the most contact that she allowed.

"Okay," Eli replied. He noticed Mrs. Edwards look back at him, so he quickly added, "Um, if that's all right with you, Mrs. Edwards."

"Yeah," she said, "That's okay."

The car ride was silent, except for when Mrs. Edwards would look back and try to tell Clare that she loved her, resulting in Clare hiding herself in Eli's chest, Eli trying to explain to Clare's mom that Clare did not need anyone talking to her more than necessary, and Mrs. Edwards starting to cry again. This happened a few times, but they returned to Clare's house fast enough.

"Well, we're here!" Mrs. Edwards announced, pulling into the driveway of their house.

"Clare, you ready to go inside?" Eli gently asked, only to realize that Clare was asleep. Eli sighed and decided to pick Clare up and walk her inside. As he began to do so, Clare started to wake up and started panicking when she realized that Eli was carrying her, bridal style.

"E-E-Eli... p-ut... me-e d-d-d-down!" She tried to say in between gasps of air, terrified.

Eli quickly set her down and watched Clare regain her breathing before he spoke up. "I was just trying to bring you into the house so you wouldn't get cold," he softly explained.

Clare looked up at him and slowly nodded her head, then looked down. She noticed that she wasn't holding onto Eli's hand, and reached out to find his in panic. Once their hands were intertwined, she began to relax and looked up at him, not knowing what they were supposed to be doing.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Eli asked, confused. After Clare shook her head, he continued with questions. "Do you want to go to bed?"

Clare nodded her head and looked down. "I'm scared he'll come back," she whimpered.

Eli wished that he could force Clare to look at him, force her to see the determination in his face. "He will not come back, Clare. Do you hear me? I am going to be here. I won't let him get you. That bastard is going to pay, and he won't come back."

Clare nodded her head, unsure of whether she should believe Eli. She took a few minutes to think, then decided to walk to her room, grasping Eli's hand.

Eli turned her bedroom lights on, sad that he had to see the marks that Jamie left again. She had bruises on her neck, a cut on her face, and red marks all over her, some that even Eli didn't see.

Clare leaned away from Eli, still gripping his hand, but made it clear that she didn't want him to be crowding her space, overwhelming her. After a few moments of silence, she spoke up. "Darcy was raped, too, you know."

Eli nodded his head, even though he didn't. "Do you want to change out of your clothes, into something more comfortable?" He asked, wondering why Clare would want to stay in the same clothes that she was raped in.

"No," Clare whispered. She didn't want to move. She wanted to disappear or just go back to the way things were before that day. If she changed her clothes, more time would pass and that would mean that it actually happened. After realizing her thought process, she mumbled, "I don't make sense."

Eli held Clare's hand tighter, knowing how ashamed she felt. "Let's get you to bed, okay?" He walked Clare over to her bed and lay down next to her.

Clare turned away from Eli, not wanting to see his face (though she didn't know why), but got scared when he let go of her hand. "Don't let go," she whispered. "When you let go, he comes back. He's everywhere when you let go."

Eli nodded his head and squeezed Clare's hand, wondering how she could even talk at all at this point. She hadn't even shed a tear since he found her. "I won't let go. I promise." He let Clare scoot closer to him and felt relief once she fell asleep.

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**I know that Mrs. Edwards probably sounds like some crazy person who doesn't understand shit, but I'm sure that many parents do that. I kind of got sent to the crisis center a few times, and my mom was all WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS and shit and didn't understand that it doesn't help to do that. -_- So i thought I'd make Mrs. Edwards a lil like that.**

**Oh, and I didn't read over this at all. I wana go to bed :p so I don't really know how this chapter turned out. Sorry if it kind of sucks.**

**REVIEW PLEASE? :D**


	3. Chapter 3

Clare woke up minutes after Eli fell asleep and lay silently in bed, still holding onto his hand. She didn't consciously think of anything; she just lay there, watching it get lighter outside, until she got uncomfortable in the position she was laying in and needed to move. As she shifted her body, she accidentally moved Eli's arm too much and started to panic as Eli's eyes opened.

A little disoriented, Eli didn't notice that Clare's eyes widened in fear. For a few seconds, he completely forgot what had happened to her, and smirked a bit. The smirk died once he did remember. "How are you?" He softly asked.

Clare looked at Eli and shrugged a little. Then looked away from his eyes.

"Have you been awake all night?"

Clare nodded, still looking away. She felt Eli's hand squeeze hers, and relaxed a little. She dropped his hand and sat up, holding her knees to her chest, and felt Eli sit next to her. He didn't say anything to her, but Clare almost found solace in him. She could never forget her rape, but she was _almost _able to think of something better when she was around him because she knew that he wouldn't be forceful like her mom, or scary like the doctors at the hospital.

The two were interrupted from their silence when Mrs. Edwards walked into Clare's bedroom. "Hi, honey! How are you this morning?" She faked a smile, hoping it would encourage Clare.

Clare whimpered and buried her head in between her knees, starting to shake again. She ignored the noises that her mom was making, who was trying to hold in sobs, and ignored Eli as he told Mrs. Edwards to just go to work, that he could take care of Clare, that she honestly wasn't helping the matter at all.

"No, Mrs. Edwards, it's not your fault, but she is in no position to be forced into spending time with someone else," Eli tried to reason with Mrs. Edwards.

"O-okay, then. Clare-er, Eli, I'm going to work. My numbers are in Clare's phone, and on the kitchen counter, okay? Maybe I should just give them to you right now, too. Um, here. I'll write them-"

"Mrs. Edwards, I can just look on the kitchen counter. Clare will be fine with me."

"Thank you, Eli. Do... you need me to call your parents and explain what happened? The school will call to inform them that you aren't at school, so..."

"Uh, no, I can just do that myself. Thank you, though."

Clare, still shaking and in her own world, was startled when she felt Eli touch her hand. "She's not here anymore, Clare. You're okay."

Clare nodded and warily pulled her head out from her legs. She looked at her hand, intertwined with Eli's, and whimpered. Why? She didn't really know. She was terrified of everything.

"Do you want to get up?" Eli asked, hoping that he could help her get around and feel a little more normal.

Clare forced herself to look at Eli's face, feeling a bit of relief when she saw Eli and not Jamie. She thought about his question for a few moments before she slowly nodded her head.

"How about you get dressed into something more comfortable?" Eli suggested, sighing in disappointment when she broke eye contact with him.

Clare thought about it, and decided to go along with Eli. Maybe because she was scared that he would hurt her, too, or maybe because she understood that Eli's mental state was far better than hers at the moment. She quickly looked up at him again, then back down at the ground, and then nodded her head. "O-okay."

"Okay, good! Do... do you want me to help you get dressed...? Or can you do it on your own?"

Clare shrugged, unsure if she would feel safe without Eli around. Whenever he left, Jamie was behind her, in front of her, on top of her, under her; he was everywhere, and Eli was the only one who could chase him away.

"Um. Okay," Eli started, confused. "H-how about I just go wait in the hallway. I'll be right there if you need me, okay?"

Clare nodded and turned away from Eli as he walked out of her room. She peeled her shirt and bra off, feeling disgusting as she saw the bruises all over her torso. _So much for Jamie being gentle. _Her jeans and panties came off next, and the marks on her legs were worse than what her shirt covered. She whimpered as the rape replayed back in her head.

She stood in front of her mirror for a while, remembering where each of her marks came from. She felt the pain as the flashbacks played in her head, and she couldn't snap out of it. She was stuck, being tortured, and just like the first time, she couldn't do anything to stop it.

After a few minutes, an even more concerned Eli knocked on the door. "Clare? Are you okay?" He waited for her response, and walked back into her room when he got none. He sighed when he saw her standing in front of the mirror, staring at her battle wounds.

"Hey," he said, trying to get her attention. "Hey. Clare. It... it's over. Clare... it's okay. It's all over."

Clare continued to stare at her body, ignoring Eli's voice.

Eli sighed again and went through her drawers, finding clothes for Clare. After finding some, he carefully moved Clare's bra onto her and fastened the back, then put a baggy shirt over her head and gently moved her arms through the armholes. He then moved Clare closer to her dresser in case she would lose her balance, and motioned for her to lift one of her feet. He slid Clare's panties up her legs, anger surging through him as he noticed the nastiest marks on her body- the purple, bruised and slightly bloody hand-prints on her inner thighs. Finally, he managed to pull pajama pants up onto her waist.

Clare let Eli touch her, mostly because she was still in her own world, feeling Jamie's hands hurt her over and over again. She could hear him trying to talk to her, but didn't realize that he was talking to _her _until she was sitting back on her bed with him.

She looked at Eli, his face filled with torture and concern for her, and whimpered before looking down again. She felt guilty that she was the reason he looked so upset.

Eli picked up on what she was thinking and grabbed her hand, hoping it would comfort her a little. Clare felt uncomfortable at first, but she felt warmth spreading through her once she relaxed.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Eli asked after a few moments of silence had gone by.

After realizing that she hadn't eaten anything lately, Clare looked up at Eli and nodded. She gripped his hand tighter as they both stood up and walked towards the door. Eli noticed how scared she was, and said, "It's okay. I'm right here. You'll be fine."

Clare hesitantly got down the staircase, but stopped in her tracks once they had made it to the family room. It was too much at once for her fragile state of mind to handle, and she didn't want to go anywhere. She wanted to fade away.

"Clare?" Eli asked. He sighed when he saw the fear in her eyes. "Clare. I am_ right _here, and I will not let _anything _happen to you. _Please _believe me," he said, his voice desperate.

Clare looked at Eli, focusing on the green in his eyes to help relax herself. She let Eli's words sink through her head before she nodded. She continued walking to the kitchen, her hand holding Eli's tighter than it was before.

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**I like getting reviews... :D**


	4. Chapter 4

"So... uh, what... what do you want me to make you?" Eli asked.

Clare shrugged, realizing that her appetite was gone.

A little bit frustrated that Clare was giving him a hard time, Eli sighed. "Okay, well, I can make you some pancakes..."

Clare nodded, uninterested, and stared down at her hands. She hadn't realized how much time went by, and jumped a little bit when a plate stacked with pancakes was placed in front of her.

"Take a bite, Clare." Eli realized that his words came out harsher than he expected, and immediately felt guilty. _Fuck, man. This girl was _raped _last night. Have some fucking patience with her!_

Clare was also taken back by Eli's tone, and scared that he would get angry, she forced herself to eat. She took a few bites, feeling Eli's eyes on her. It made her uncomfortable, made her think back to Jamie- how he watched with pleasure as Clare writhed in pain.

Thoughts piled back up onto her, and Clare suddenly felt nauseated. After realizing that she was going to throw up, Clare darted to the near-by bathroom and began to empty the contents of her stomach.

"Oh, shit," Eli muttered. He rushed after Clare, hoping she'd let him hold her hair back. Thankfully, she did. When she was finished, she looked back and forth from Eli to the hallway outside of the bathroom. She scooted away from Eli, making it clear that she wanted space.

"Clare, what can I do?" Eli asked.

"I don't know," Clare honestly replied. She closed her eyes and winced every time she saw Jamie in her head. "He's... always here," she tried to explain. "He's st-...still hurting me. All the time. He d...doesn't leave," she whispered, still wincing.

Eli sat down next to Clare and put his hand on her shoulder, earning a flinch from her. "Clare," he said, trying to get her to look up at him. Once she opened her eyes and realized that Eli was touching her, not Jamie, Eli could feel her body relax a little. He let himself exhale in relief. "He won't come back.

"I couldn't even do anything when he... when he touched me," Clare whimpered. "He took... my virginity. He just stole it from me. It... it's gone. I feel d-...disgusting."

Eli squeezed Clare's shoulder. Clare whimpered and Eli loosened his grip. "You're not disgusting," Eli murmured.

Clare said nothing, though she strongly disagreed with Eli's reply. The two quietly sat together for a while until Eli spoke up. "Do... you want to try eating again?"

Clare shook her head, feeling afraid again. She leaned away from Eli's touch, and he took his hand off of her shoulder.

"Do you want to go back up to your room?" Eli asked. "It'd be more comfortable than a bathroom floor," he explained softly.

Clare nodded and slowly stood up, shying away from Eli's hand when he tried to help her up. They made their way up to Clare's room. They sat on Clare's bed until Eli's phone started to ring in his jeans pocket. Clare flinched and moved away from Eli, and Eli tried to comfort her. "It's okay, Clare. It was just my phone."

"You... can answer it," Clare said quietly, feeling guilty that Eli was stuck with her like this.

Eli hesitantly nodded and pulled his phone out.

_1 missed call from: Mom_

He dialed his mom's phone and sighed when he heard his mother answer. "Elijah, where have you been? You could at least warn us before you skip school, not come back home last night-"

"Clare... has a situation," Eli said carefully, shutting his eyes for a moment when he heard Clare whimper beside him. He took her hand and squeezed it gently.

"What kind of situation?" Cece asked. She heard the strain in Eli's voice, and it made her realize that something was seriously wrong.

"I... I'll talk to you later, Mom. It's... Clare's right here, and..." Eli tried to hint to his mom that it was not the time to be talking about it.

"O-okay, honey. Just give me a call later."

Eli shut his phone and looked back at Clare, who was shivering. "Are you cold?" He asked softly.

Clare looked around for a moment, then shrugged, still shaking.

Eli grabbed a blanket from her bed and carefully wrapped it around her. He kept his hands on her arms once the blanket was on her, hoping she would let him hold her like that, and she thankfully did, though her body was still tense. Eli rubbed her arms a little bit, trying to soothe her. "Relax," he said, "It's just me."

Clare relaxed a little bit more and felt herself warm up a little bit. After a little bit, she stopped shivering and tried to wiggle out of Eli's arms to get the blanket off. Eli understood what she was doing and released her from his grip, then pulled the blanket off of her.

Clare sat in silence, staring at the wall, while Eli was clenching his fists as he thought of Jamie, how he hurt Clare so badly. He didn't even know what exactly happened; the SART knew that she was in no condition to explain the details of her rape, so they told Mrs. Edwards that if they wanted to press charges, Clare would need to come back and testify against Jamie when she was more emotionally stable. Eli knew that this would wreck Clare even more, and he dreaded the thought of watching her struggle more than she already was.

When Eli saw Clare in the back of the church, just sitting there naked, he was in shock himself. He didn't want to believe that anything happened to Clare, that he let her get hurt. Watching her go through something this painful just _killed _him inside. He talked to the SART at the hospital and they gave him plenty of advice on how to help his girlfriend, but he felt like nothing was going to heal her, no matter how hard he tried.

Sure, it hadn't even been 24 hours since the rape. Eli knew that, and it wasn't like he would give up on her, but he had absolutely _no _idea how to deal with her. Even when her family problems were worse than they ever were, Clare kept her head up and tried to stay positive. But now, she couldn't even let Eli talk to her, look at her in the eyes, without fear running through her.

Clare interrupted Eli's thoughts when she looked up at his face, realizing that he was thinking about her. He felt her eyes on him, and turned around to face her while feigning a little more strength and happiness that he didn't have.

"Sorry," Clare muttered.

"For what?" Eli asked, confused.

"For making... making you stay here..." Clare replied, looking down.

"Clare, you aren't _making _me stay here. I care about you too much to let do this alone. I _want _to be here. I _want _to help you get through this. Believe me, if I didn't care, I wouldn't be here. But I care about you too much to walk away from this whole situation. You aren't making me do anything," Eli said, honesty seeping through his voice.

Clare nodded and looked down, hoping that she would believe him someday. She just wanted to go back to normal.

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**I really like writing this story. I'm working on the next chapter now, but I don't know if it'll be up tonight because I'm waiting for my friend to come over so we can study. :( And this week is kind of hectic because I missed some school last week- I'll be making a bunch of work up and I don't know how much time I'll have to write. But I'll try my best!**

**Please review? And if there's any grammatical errors that I'm making, please let me know because I hate it when I make them without knowing!**


	5. Chapter 5

**SORRY THIS TOOK 301392091 YEARS TO UPDATE. I have way too much homework. If I fail any tests tomorrow, it's your fault. AND your punishment will be having to leave reviews! :D**

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"Hi, honey! How was your day? Did you eat anything? Would you like me to make you something?" Eli internally groaned as Mrs. Edwards' head peeked through Clare's bedroom door.

"Mrs. Edwards," Eli warned, wishing that Mrs. Edwards could just understand that it was her cue to leave once Clare was hiding behind Eli, uncomfortable and terrified.

It took Eli at least half an hour to get Clare up from the bathroom floor and back to her room. There was no way that Eli would let all of his progress just fade away once Mrs. Edwards came home.

"Eli, I don't think you understand. Clare's my daughter, my baby girl! I can't just leave her all alone when she was _raped!" _Mrs. Edwards exclaimed, tears streaming down her cheeks. She didn't even realize that Clare flinched at the word 'raped'.

Eli sighed. He didn't really feel any sympathy for the woman, even though he knew he should. Sure, she was the victim's mother, but she wasn't even the one who was raped. Clare hadn't cried at all; she was in shock. Mrs. Edwards couldn't understand that, and it was really pissing Eli off.

"Look, I'm sorry if this is disrespectful because I really don't mean to be, but seriously? Take a look at your daughter. She's hiding behind me. She's in shock. She can barely function. She doesn't want to be around you right now! I'm sorry that she doesn't, but that's how it is. You can't change that by checking up on her and offering to make her food or whatever! You're pushing her, and I know that I'm not an expert on any of this stuff, but _that's not helping!"_

"I can't just leave her!" Mrs. Edwards almost yelled. "Mothers can't just _leave _their child when something happens to them! They help their child!"

"_Oh my god,"_ Eli started, practically growling. He took a deep breath once he realized how Clare was gripping onto Eli's arm tighter. "You aren't helping her! You're scaring her! Clare is in _shock! _She isn't thinking properly! But she is thinking about the r- about what happened to her last night, and _this _sort of situation is just making it worse. You _need _to leave her alone."

Mrs. Edwards, heartbroken, nodded, then quietly said, "I'll be out with a friend, Eli. My number is still downstairs in case you need it." With that, she headed down the staircase, trying to hush her sobs.

Clare pulled herself away from Eli and looked up at him. He smiled softly, trying to hide his thoughts. He was scared that Clare would never be the same again. She looked... different. The only emotion that Eli could see was sadness, showing through her tortured, scared, uncomfortable expression, but no other feelings were visible to him.

"I'm going to take a shower," Clare whispered, standing up.

Eli stood up as well. "Uh, um, do you...do you want me to stay here? Or go with you? Or...?"

"I'll be fine," Clare replied, grabbing a towel and heading into her bathroom. She shut the door and turned the water on. As it heated up, she stared at herself in the mirror. The bruises and cuts didn't look any better than they did before. They were still reminders, haunting her every second.

Meanwhile, Eli warily moved away from the bathroom door, deciding that he would have to trust that Clare would take care of herself. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed his home phone.

"Hello?" Eli's mom said on the other line.

"Hey, so... Clare g-got... raped," Eli said, shutting his eyes at the reality of it all.

"Oh my God! Eli, is she okay? W-"

Eli cut her off. "She's not okay. I guess when I found her, I didn't freak her out or anything, and I'm, like, the only person that she's remotely okay with being around. I'm really worried about her," Eli said, his voice cracking. He felt tears come to his eyes, but he blinked them back.

"Oh, honey," Eli's mom replied. "I... I hope she's going to be okay."

Eli was silent for a moment before he said anything."I kind of need to stay with her for a while. You know, until she's out of... shock, or whatever. T-that's okay, right?"

"Of course, honey. Anything you can do to help Clare is absolutely all right."

Eli sighed in relief. "Thanks, mom." He didn't want to talk any longer, so he ended their conversation and waited for Clare to come out.

Clare was sitting at the bottom of her shower, replaying her rape over in her head again. She didn't bother to move or anything. At this point, she knew that nothing she could've done would stop her rape, so why would she bother trying? She let Jamie hurt her again and again and again. She tried to stay quiet each time he touched her, but ended up letting out a yell that was loud enough for Eli to hear.

"Clare?" Eli asked, standing outside of the bathroom. "Are you okay?"

Clare didn't realize that Eli was calling her name and just thought it was Jamie taunting her or something.

Eli opened the bathroom door. He felt a pang when he saw Clare sitting on the shower floor, looking like she was in agony. "Clare," he sighed, reaching over to turn the water off. He handed Clare her towel, but Clare just held it in her hands and stayed where she was.

Eli helped Clare stand up and put the towel on her, wrapping his arms around her to keep it in place. He brought her to her room and they both sat down on her bed. Clare was still staring into space, off in her own world, and it was really scaring Eli. Would she never be okay again?

"Clare," Eli softly said, getting her attention, "Tell me what to do. Tell me how to help," he pleaded. He missed seeing her smile, seeing her eyes shine, and it had only been a day.

Clare shook her head and then leaned into Eli's embrace. "I don't know," she whispered. "I want to be better." She took Eli's hand and squeezed it, knowing that he was upset, too.

Eli rubbed Clare's hand with his thumb, hoping it would provide her some comfort. "I do too."

After a while, Eli gently pulled away from Clare. "Let's get you dressed," he said. After Clare nodded, he helped her up and they walked over to her dresser.

Eli couldn't wait until Clare was a little better.

* * *

**Stupid place to end it, I know. Haha. I need to go soon, but I wanted to get to updating my other story. So. Yeah.**

**I LIKE REVIEWS. 3 **


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